Support

A cookie is a piece of data stored by your browser or device that helps websites like this one recognize return visitors. We use cookies to give you the best experience on BNA.com. Some cookies are also necessary for the technical operation of our website. If you continue browsing, you agree to this site’s use of cookies.

Marketing Services

Bloomberg Next marketing services allow clients to elevate their brands and extend their reach through our established and trusted expertise, enhanced with engaging event production, appealing design, and compelling messaging.

Keep up with the latest developments and legal issues in the telecommunications and emerging technology sectors, with exclusive access to a comprehensive collection of telecommunications law news,...

By Paul Barbagallo

Senate Republicans failed Nov. 10 to secure the votes necessary to overturn the Federal Communications Commission's net neutrality rules, a defeat that puts the matter squarely in the hands of the courts.

The Senate voted 52-46 along party lines to reject a GOP-sponsored resolution (S.J. Res. 6) that would have repealed the FCC's rules in their entirety. The rules are now set to take effect Nov. 20. The largely symbolic vote came seven months after the House approved an identical resolution to nullify the rules, and nearly a year after the FCC voted to adopt the rules.

“Today, the Senate refused to hand over the internet to a small group of corporate interests, and we need to keep up the fight because we know this isn't the last we've heard of the assault on net neutrality,” Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), the chairman of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Communications, said in a statement.

The Senate vote was hailed as a major victory for net neutrality advocates, though the fight over network neutrality will continue in the courts. Verizon Communications Inc. has appealed the rules to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

In an e-mailed statement, an FCC spokesman said the vote will benefit both consumers and businesses.

“Since its adoption in 2010, the commission's open internet framework has brought certainty and predictability, stimulating increased innovation and investment across the broadband economy, including in mobile networks and apps,” he said. “Tens of billions of dollars have already been invested in 2011 in wired and wireless broadband networks, a significant increase from the previous year before the order was adopted.”

Any effort by lawmakers to “disrupt or unsettle” that certainty, the spokesman added, will only undermine that innovation and investment.

“Despite the cloak of anti-government rhetoric of the legislation's opponents, the reality is that a defeat of the resolution would have given control over to Big Telecom companies for their benefit on an Internet manipulated for their benefit,” Gigi Sohn, president of the public-interest group Public Knowledge, said in a statement.

Leading up to the vote, Republican lawmakers described the FCC's rules as a “power grab”—an overreach of statutory authority that would stifle investment and job creation.

They also contended that the FCC can point to only a few instances of blocking or degrading of web traffic—practices that the rules are designed to prevent: Madison River Telephone Co.'s blocking of voice-over-internet-protocol services, Verizon Wireless's blocking of political text messages, Telus Corp.'s blocking of a website operated by its opponent in a labor dispute, and Comcast Corp.'s throttling of BitTorrent traffic.

All Bloomberg BNA treatises are available on standing order, which ensures you will always receive the most current edition of the book or supplement of the title you have ordered from Bloomberg BNA’s book division. As soon as a new supplement or edition is published (usually annually) for a title you’ve previously purchased and requested to be placed on standing order, we’ll ship it to you to review for 30 days without any obligation. During this period, you can either (a) honor the invoice and receive a 5% discount (in addition to any other discounts you may qualify for) off the then-current price of the update, plus shipping and handling or (b) return the book(s), in which case, your invoice will be cancelled upon receipt of the book(s). Call us for a prepaid UPS label for your return. It’s as simple and easy as that. Most importantly, standing orders mean you will never have to worry about the timeliness of the information you’re relying on. And, you may discontinue standing orders at any time by contacting us at 1.800.960.1220 or by sending an email to books@bna.com.

Put me on standing order at a 5% discount off list price of all future updates, in addition to any other discounts I may quality for. (Returnable within 30 days.)

Notify me when updates are available (No standing order will be created).

This Bloomberg BNA report is available on standing order, which ensures you will all receive the latest edition. This report is updated annually and we will send you the latest edition once it has been published. By signing up for standing order you will never have to worry about the timeliness of the information you need. And, you may discontinue standing orders at any time by contacting us at 1.800.372.1033, option 5, or by sending us an email to research@bna.com.

Put me on standing order

Notify me when new releases are available (no standing order will be created)